kabul/islamabad โข- A new โคround โof intense gunfire erupted โฃFriday evening between the โAfghan and pakistani militaries along thierโฃ sharedโข border,resulting in at leastโ five โdeathsโ and several injuries,officials reported Saturday. โขThe clashes, which lastedโ approximately two hours beginning โขaround 10:30 PM local time, underscore the fragile โขstate of the recent ceasefire agreement โคbetween โthe two nations andโ raise concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
The latest exchange of โฃfire follows failed peace talks earlier this week and comes after โdeadly clashes last October โleft over 70 people deadโ and hundreds wounded. While both sides have โagreed to โhalt โฃfighting, โthe underlying โdisputes remainโ unresolved, threatening further โคinstability. The โขborder โฃregion has long beenโ a hotspot for conflict, fueled by accusations of cross-border terrorism and disputesโข over the demarcationโค of the Durand Line, a border drawn by British โcolonial authorities that Afghanistan does โnotโ officially โขrecognize.
Residents on the Afghanโ sideโ of the โคborder told AFP that the firefight involved both light and heavy โคartillery. Ali Mohammed Haqmal,head of Kandahar’s information department in Afghanistan,stated that โPakistani forces attacked with โคartillery and mortar fire,impacting civilian homes. โค”The clashes have ended, both parties haveโ agreedโ to stop,” haqmal said.
Afghan โauthorities reported that four civiliansโ and one soldier were killedโข in the fighting. Government spokesman Hamdullahโค Fitrat confirmed in a โvideo statement that five other civilians were โinjured. Pakistani officials,โข meanwhile, reported that โฃthree people in theโค border town of Chamanโ sustained minorโ injuries.
The โขcurrent ceasefire was brokered by Qatarโข and Tรผrkiye, offering a temporary โฃrespite after theโฃ October violence.โข However, the repeated breaches of the agreement highlight the difficulty of achievingโ a lasting peace without addressing theโฃ core issues driving theโค conflict. โคFurther โtalks are planned,butโ the outcome remains โuncertain.
